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Hishi Mochi/Story
Fondness Story I. Life "Master Attendant, look at the garden. It's so gorgeous!" I ran along the spiraling cobblestone path, headed towards the yard. When I was running on the stone bridge with a doll in my hands, I turned around and waved at Master Attendant, slowly walking towards me. "This is our new home, Hishi Mochi." "Yes!!" I smiled sweetly at Master Attendant, hoping that it’d spread to her and make her relax. Master Attendant showed a smile, but it had lost its sweetness and purity. She raised her hand and rubbed my head. I looked at her eyes. Gone was the former light within them and instead, her deep eyes were overflowing with growing loneliness. After that uprising, Master Attendant's mental state wasn't great. Now, the dust has already settled. It turned out our most trusted general has emerged as the new authority of the country. But Master Attendant's identity remained the same; she's still a princess worshiped by the people in her country. However, she didn't want to remain in the palace, which held most of her memories. Her father, brothers, sisters, and even her other half are gone. She's all alone, alone for the rest of her life. That's why she chose to stay in a heavily guarded hunting ground, deep within the palace. Perhaps the reason why the general took pity on her was because she shared a similar fate like him. He permitted Master Attendant to leave the palace and had her properly accommodated in a mansion once owned by a noble. In this mansion, our life remained virtually identical to before. If we lack something, we would just inform Unadon, who’d frequently visit us. The next day, our request will be fulfilled. Yet, Master Attendant rarely made any requests. Needless to say, we felt an unprecedented sense of despondency. When Unadon came, he told us that the general hoped Master Attendant could forget his only son, forget those who have passed, stopped holding on to the past and instead, be happier in the future. Similarly, I too hoped Master Attendant could pull herself together. II.Reminisce Our new life is the same as the past. There weren't many people in the mansion so it was more desolate than the palace had been. And because there weren't any of the strict rules of the palace, we felt more free. It's just that, there's no longer anyone to play hide and seek with. Master Attendant and I both despised the strict rules of the palace. We would play hide and seek with the older princess, although I hated playing with her. The older princess wasn't skilled, and she only found us after a long time. But she still enjoyed the role of a seeker. Master Attendant said that the older princess wasn't searching for us, but someone else instead. At the time Master Attendant fell ill, the spring flowers bloomed. On that day, we would look at sakuras. I told her, I missed those days when we played together. Master Attendant didn't promise me anything. She only sadly looked at the trees covered in sakuras. When I was talking about the older princess, I mentioned Osechi, who played with us once. Speaking of that game of hide and seek, I was the seeker and had to find everyone. At sunset, I managed to discover where Osechi was, but I wanted to make it extra spooky before frightening her. I placed the doll, which looked identical to me, atop the Chinese window, which she can see when she gets up. The setting sun caused the doll' s shadow to elongate. As there wasn't anyone nearby, I hid in the dark. Coincidentally, there was a gale of wind at the time. I purposely lowered my voice and pretended to be one of those vengeful spirits of folk legend. The cool wind carried the sound of my voice towards Osechi. When she looked up and saw my doll, she became terrified, as if she thought the doll was a spirit out for her life. I tried to vividly describe the scene at the time to Master Attendant, but she could only weakly reply. I thought Master Attendant wasn't interested, so I talked about the only son of the general, who would sneak into the palace to find us. He's the person in Master Attendant's heart and his Food Soul, Kashiwa Mochi, is my favorite playmate. Before I could even say a few sentences, Master Attendant uttered for me to stop. With an insurmountable amount of anguish, she said: "They won't come back. What's the point of missing them……" That night, Master Attendant collapsed due to her illness. III. Farewell After half a year of being bed-ridden, Master Attendant silently left the world in the morning, like a maple leaf falling off a tree. At that time, I was collecting some dew from the garden and was planning to boil them for Master Attendant to drink. Water can get rid of any misfortune and purify her ill body. Morning dew, rainwater during a drought, and the river in front of the shrine are all very clean. Ever since Master Attendant became ill, I've never left her side. Everyday, before the sun rose, I'd collect some morning dew and hope that this was enough to ease her illness. I've also created many dolls of her, and for every 9 dolls created, I would ask Unadon to bring them to the river. The little boat holding these dolls will follow the water and float away, bringing away Master Attendant’s misfortune. But Master Attendant’s condition never improved. I failed to shield Master Attendant from her misfortune to the very end. With the boiled water, I walked to Master Attendant's room and softly asked her to wake up. However, she did not respond. A bad feeling gripped my heart. Not long after, my heart seemed to shatter into smithereens as I descended into a helpless state of pain. ——The contract has broken. "MASTER ATTENDANT!!!" I suddenly got up, and my clothes toppled the bowl of water. In a flurry of footsteps, I rushed towards her side. Tearfully, I called out her name. Yet, she'll never respond for an eternity. When the princess passed from her sickness, the whole nation was heartbroken. They said Master Attendant died of sadness. I hugged my doll and hid in the dark cupboard, crying. I thought- can Food Souls die of sadness? They consoled me and told me that I wasn't to blame for her death. I'm only her Food Soul, not her substitute doll. But don’t Food Souls exist to protect their Attendants? To absorb any damage inflicted on them, to bear any misfortunes, and to shield them from all danger so they may live well. These is what we should do. This justifies my existence. I didn't protect who I should’ve protected. To me, this was truly something sad. IV. Where to Return The person who helped organize Master Attendant's funeral was a fellow called Matsutake Dobinmushi. He claimed to be a friend of Osechi and Unadon. The commander ordered a grand funeral to be organized for Master Attendant. It will be carried out by his Food Soul who’s triumphed over many battles - Unadon. Just like me, Unadon wasn’t an expert on this matter. All Unadon needed to do was attend and host this funeral. The rest was settled by Matsutake Dobinmushi. We sent off Master Attendant. When everything ended, Unadon asked me a question before leaving: "Hishi Mochi, have you thought of where to go?" "I'm…...unsure." I've never considered what I would do if Master Attendant is no longer around. It was only until Unadon asked me that I realized there’s no way for me to return to Master Attendant's side. I've lost a place to return to. "If you don't know where to go, you can leave with me. Together, we can see the outside world and find a place that suits you." Bewildered, I looked at Matsutake Dobinmushi, whom I've known for only a few days. "Why?" "I’m a merchant who’s visited the entirety of Sakurajima for business. I've seen many people with all sorts of pasts and experiences, but I myself have yet to consider my own future. I merely thought of conducting even greater business next time. Only today did I decide that this city shall be my sanctuary." "Is it because the person you wish to be together with is here?" "Heh, incorrect." "Then, is it because you treated this place as your home?" "Also incorrect." "I don't know……." I became more and more fascinated by his answer. He, on the other hand, chuckled. "You will understand once you’ve explored every nook and cranny of Sakurajima, just like I have..." In the past, the people inside the palace were also like him. They say things that sound correct, but aren't in reality, and thus, no one could understand them. I seemed to understand because my mind was still fuzzy. Then again, I still feel like I didn't get anything. But, I was still hesitant on whether or not to accept his suggestion. Unadon hummed and patted my shoulder. "Don't listen to his nonsense. His words may be unreliable, but at least they’re trustworthy. If you're still unsure on what to do, perhaps you should follow him and look around. Knowing more ain't bad and you can look for Kashiwa Mochi simultaneously. That boy said he went to train but I haven't heard anything from him ever since." Kashiwa Mochi…… Thinking about that Food Soul who went missing after his Master Attendant's death, I finally decided to follow his suggestion. Has he found a new place where he belongs? V. Hishi Mochi Hishi Mochi's Master Attendant is the princess of a country. When she was summoned, she received an education provided by those in the palace. She's the princess’s substitute doll. One who will shield her Master Attendant from any disaster. Those close to them shared this belief, even Hishi Mochi herself believed it. Perhaps because of Hishi Mochi's existence, Osechi's Master Attendant would then summon Osechi, after the former was chosen as the royal family’s Miko, to take her place. Osechi only knew about this after some time when she saw Hishi Mochi's Master Attendant. But at that time, she didn't blame Hishi Mochi. In the palace, Osechi saw Hishi Mochi when she was learning etiquette. Hishi Mochi was a naive and simple-minded child, carrying out some harmless pranks. At the same time, she would personally sew dolls for others. It just that, all her knowledge of the world was based on the lady-in-court that served the princess... Before Hishi Mochi and Matsutake Dobinmushi left the capital, they stayed in Osechi’s shrine for two days. When the imperial family, formerly at the top of the kingdom, declined, the two’s relationship became closer compared to it in the past; they didn't talk much back then. In the span of two days, Hishi Mochi chatted a lot with Osechi. The decision to leave the capital with Matsutake Dobinmushi was in actuality, not Hishi Mochi’s decision. Hishi Mochi remained confused about her future, and the reason why she chose to leave was just because she wanted to look for Kashiwa Mochi, who lost his Master Attendant, just like her. Kashiwa Mochi was Hishi Mochi's former playmate. Of course, it was largely because their Master Attendants were star-crossed lovers, and because they admired each other. The chances they got to play together exceeded all others and their friendship would inevitably would be much deeper. Currently, Osechi is unable to provide much help for Hishi Mochi. She only wishes this journey would let Hishi Mochi understand that even though she's a Food Soul summoned by humanity, she shouldn't give her life to serve and protect someone. Only then will her life be meaningful. Category:Food Soul Story